1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to systems for transporting ammunition from a relatively fixed supply to a gun having one or more degrees of freedom of movement; for example, from a drum storage system through a conveyor system to a gun which may be moved in train, elevation and zenith (cross-elevation), and for returning empty cases to the supply.
2. Prior Art
The transport of ammunition from a relatively fixed supply to a gun in a turret is complicated by the fact that the gun moves in train and in elevation, and in some systems also moves in zenith or cross-elevation. Flexible chuting is conventionally utilized to guide and to transport the ammunition. Such an overall arrangement is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,911,787 issued Oct. 14, 1975 to C. M. Seibel, wherein the ammunition supply might be the flat, linear linkless system shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,395 issued May 6, 1975 to T. W. Cozzi et el. Another ammunition supply might be the drum linkless system shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,704 issued Oct. 10, 1972 to L. F. Backus et al, or one of the prior art drums discussed therein; or in U.S. Pat. No. 3,766,823 issued Oct. 23, 1973 to L. R. Folsom et al. Linked ammunition supply systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,427,923 issued Feb. 18, 1969 to E. A. Meyer et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,178 issued Mar. 3, 1970 to E. A. Meyer et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,684 issued July 6, 1971 to K. J. Gilbert.
A unidirectional mechanism for accommodating the output rate of the ammunition supply system to the demand rate of the gun system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,738 issued to E. A. Meyer on Aug. 17, 1976. That system requires a complex servo system with separate sets of drives, sensors and controls for the gun, the turret and the ammunition supply respectively, and is only capable of processing a single train of ammunition in a single direction, that is, all cartridge cases after firing must be ejected from the system-they cannot be returned to the ammunition supply.